THE INFLUENCE OF THE USE OF DLC COATING ON THE SURFACE OF THE TURBOCHARGER SLIDE BEARING ON ITS OPERATING PARAMETERS

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings are characterized by unique properties (chemical, protective and tribological properties), thanks to which they are characterized by high hardness, resistance to chemical agents and a low coefficient of friction. The main goal of the article is to determine the working parameters of an internal combustion engine turbocharger after applying DLC coatings on the surfaces of its sliding bearing elements (shaft). Such an application can be considered both in the production of new turbochargers and in the regeneration of already operated turbochargers. The use of a turbocharger has been known in technology for a long time, however, in means of road transport this part is increasingly used in accordance with the idea of downsizing (in the past mainly for compression ignition engines, and now also for spark ignition engines). Currently, DLC layers are used in industry, but their use in the regeneration of parts in means of car transport is rather small. The article presents the results of testing the turbocharger operating parameters. The tests were carried out using a special test stand. Based on the obtained test results, it can be concluded that the application of the DLC coating on selected surfaces of the turbocharger sliding bearings allows for the change (improvement) of its operating parameters (e.g. increasing the rotational speed of the turbocharger rotor and the air pressure on the charger side at fixed turbine operating parameters).